Deception and Love: I Won't Be Sad to Leave

A raspy voice whispered in my ear.

I shrank back, letting out a couple of awkward chuckles.

"It's just a fling. I don't have to be responsible for anything... right?"

The man fell silent for a moment, his arm tightening.

"Oh, but I intend to take responsibility."

I remained silent.

"Avery."

"Yes?" I felt a chill up my spine at the sudden mention of my name.

His hand caressed my waist, pressing gently at my side, ticklish yet soothing.

"Have you forgotten my name?"

"Well..."

I quickly searched through the remnants of my memory, finding a blank where his name should be.

The man sighed, "Emmett."

I nodded, attempting to walk away, but he held me tight in his arms, immobilizing me.

It was not good.

"Also, I'm 31 this year."

"Yeah?"

"I'm older than you, young lady."

Well...

What a stickler for details.

"But I'm married." I admitted.

His hand froze mid-rub on his waist.

"You mean you had dumped?"

"Yeah, I got divorced, but I'm still in the cooling-off period, so..."

"Damn!"

Emmett cursed under his breath, releasing me instantly. He turned around and burrowed under the covers, rustling as he put on his clothes.

Feeling a little embarrassed, I tidied myself up and walked towards the door, but he stopped me.

"It's far from here. Where do you live? I'll take you home."

"No need, I can call a cab."

He got up and opened the door, heading straight for the kitchen.

"Have some food before you go, I'll drive you."

In the car, it was awkwardly indescribable.

I broke the silence first, apologizing.

Emmett's expression twisted for a moment.

"Don't talk," he said. "Don't remind me of being the other man all night."

I fell silent, turning to look out the window.

"It's not really that, anyway. The divorce is inevitable. Our marriage is already broken, just missing the paperwork.

"If he can do it, why can't I?"

Perhaps it was drizzling today. Raindrops streaked the car window, much like my current mood.

Emmett glanced at me, his grim expression softening a bit.

"Did he cheat?"

"Yes, with his secretary, for three months, no, maybe even longer. Do you know how I found out?"

"How?"

"His chat history! He didn't even bother to delete it. He knew I trusted him and wouldn't check his phone, so he took advantage of my trust and flirted with his secretary right under my nose. How ridiculous is that?"

"That's pretty low of him."

"Ten years together, seven years of dating, three years of marriage, and he cheats on me, then comes back and says he loves me. Isn't it hilarious?"

I leaned my head against the car window, looking out at the foggy weather.

"Why are men like this? Both the cheaters and the mistresses are disgusting."

"It sounds like you're scolding me too."

Emmett's expression faltered slightly, and I offered him an apologetic smile.

The car stopped at the entrance of the apartment complex, and Emmett handed me an umbrella.

"Return it next time."

"Thank you."

I walked into the complex with the umbrella.

Only after I entered, my home did the Range Rover downstairs slowly drive away.

I unlocked my phone, and dozens of messages popped up instantly.

Mostly, it was just Arthur talking to himself.

[Avery, I can't be without you! Please don’t leave me.]

[I've made it clear to Lyla that I won’t see her anymore. Can you come back to me?]

[Don't divorce me, okay? I know I was wrong.]

I dried my freshly washed hair and opened my Instagram.

The news of my impending divorce from Arthur was no secret and had spread far and wide. Lyla was already impatient.

She usually only posted some lovey-dovey quotes, but now she had posted several updates of her alone time with Arthur, all of which were quite suggestive.

There were even some suggestive messages like: [The old can't compare to the new, be someone who brings a fresh feeling.]

I chuckled and took screenshots to send to Arthur.

[This is your idea of setting boundaries? Having dinner across the table from Lyla?]

Lyla must have sent them to me on purpose, blocking him from seeing them.

After sending them, the usually chatty Arthur suddenly fell silent.

I didn't bother with him anymore. After exiting the chat, I suddenly noticed a new addition on my screen.

The nickname was a simple character, "E", with a solid black profile picture.

A tall, astonishing figure suddenly sprang to mind, and I tentatively sent a message.

"Emmett?"

"Yeah."

His reply came almost instantly as if he had been waiting for me to message.

I quickly banished the thought from my mind. It couldn't be possible after just one night of knowing each other.

[When did you have my number?]

[Last night. You complimented me and insisted on adding my contact information.]

[Sorry, I had too much to drink.]

[I entirely agree with you.]

I blinked, unsure what he meant by agreeing, and scrolled down to transfer him five thousand dollars.

Emmett: [What?]

Me: [It's a reward.]

Emmett: [What?]

Emmett: [I feel like I've been swept into some kind of shady job.]

[I never said that.]

I smirked, suddenly feeling much lighter in spirit.